A SPLAT! Christmas
by CreativePunk77
Summary: The six members of SPLAT celebrate their first Christmas together. Harvey/Ingrid.


**A SPLAT! CHRISTMAS**

This year, the event of Christmas in the Hunter family was experiencing a drastic change. Not only did Mrs Hunter have to now cater for _five,_ she also had to venture into the unknown world of purchasing gifts for _girls._ Though Dinah did not care for 'girly things', Mrs Hunter still had trouble choosing the right items for her.

For the boys it was easy, as she had witnessed their changing interests over the years, first – hand. But for Dinah, even though she had now opened up more about herself, the girl could be a blank slate. In the end, Mrs Hunter had crossed her fingers, hoping that their adopted daughter would react positively to her Christmas presents.

That had been two weeks ago and now, the early hours of the twenty fifth of December, both adult Hunters were fast asleep. The house was silent, occupants in the realms of dreams. Save for one…

* * *

Harvey Hunter beamed excitedly as he reached over and switched on his lamp. His room illuminated, the faces within tacked up photographs gazing back at him. His model airplanes rotated slowly from where they were strung up. Harvey rubbed his hands together in glee when he spotted the bulky stocking, hanging on the end of his bed.

Scrambling forwards, flinging off bed covers as he went, Harvey yanked the stocking up into his arms, then fell back into a crossed legged position. Snatching the Santa's hat off of his bedside cabinet, Harvey jammed it over his fair hair and opened his stocking, withdrawing the wrapped up gifts onto the bed.

After some frenzied tearing of wrapping paper, a bundle of presents lay before Harvey. A box of chocolates, a blue toothbrush, a bottle of lemon shower gel and a cuddly penguin toy, which squeaked whenever anyone pressed its middle.

Grinning, Harvey dumped the wrapping paper in the bin, then set the four items on his desk. Spying the clock, Harvey thought:

' _Oh not TOO early.'_

Adjusting his hat and smoothing down his rumpled airplane pyjamas, Harvey sneaked out of his room, along the landing. Carefully opening the door into his parents' room, Harvey tip toed towards their bed. His parents were dead to the world and Harvey vowed, _to make them spring to life._

Halting at the bottom of the bed, Harvey prepared himself, knees bent and eyes alight with glee. He hurled himself forward, shouting:

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

Both Hunter parents jolted awake, Mr Hunter scrambling behind the bed for the baseball bat lodged there. Mrs Hunter inhaled a breath, prepared to scream, when she realised who the mysterious figure was.

" _Harvey!_ What on _earth_ are you doing?!"

Harvey's grin lessened as his eyes flickered between his mother and father.

"Erm, its Christmas?"

Mr Hunter creased his forehead, lowering the bat he had in his firm hands. Upon checking the clock, Mr Hunter replaced the bat and slumped back against his pillows, groaning:

"It is _four in the morning."_

Harvey giggled weakly as his mother's face darkened, cringing when she hissed lowly:

"Sweetie, go _back to_ _bed._ It is _far too early,_ to get up and I know what you are thinking!"

"W-What am I thinking, Mummy?"

"Don't 'Mummy', me! You are _not_ opening your presents until everyone gets up. I take it, you've already opened the ones in your stocking?"

"Of course I have! And _fine,_ I'll go back to bed. Thanks for the ones in my stocking."

Hastily hugging his parents, Harvey scurried off of the bed and back to his own room, incensed that he had to wait for at least three more hours. Harvey climbed into bed, tugging the hat off and flinging it onto his desk.

' _I bet the others don't get up for ages! Oh, I am NEVER getting back to sleep!'_

The frown that had been adorning his face, suddenly switched to a grin as he fumbled for his phone. Upon selecting the contact he wanted, Harvey tapped off a message.

' **Hey baby girl, you up? :D xx'**

The reply he was craving, came back a few minutes later. **'Yep Harv – Harv! SO EXCITED! ;) XX'**

' **SAMEZIES! I WANT TO OPEN MY PRESENTS! But mum said no** **:( xxx'**

 **':(** **that's what my parents said last night. Can't wait to see you later** **xxx'**

' **I know! It's going to be brill! Love you Ing – Ing XD xxx'**

' **Love you too bubby! XD xxx'**

Hearing the sound of a door opening, Harvey quickly switched off his lamp and tossed his phone onto his bedside cabinet, pretending that he was asleep. His door opened a few inches, Lloyd poking his head around. He snorted as his eyes fell on his seemingly sleeping little brother.

' _Harvey can't fake sleep for shit. He is such a little kid, getting all excited over one day of the year.'_

Lloyd smiled, whispering: "Merry Christmas, H." Then slipped his head back and shut the door.

* * *

At nine am, the five Hunters were gathered in the living room, still clad in their pyjamas. The adults were conversing over their cups of tea, at times shooting their youngest child, dirty looks. Harvey grinned uneasily, wondering if they were discussing _him._

He broke out of his thoughts when Lloyd piped up:

"Alright H, I know that you've been waiting for _months_ for today, so you can go first."

The grin shifted to one of delight as Harvey started to unwrap his presents. He tore the wrapping off, not seeing the point of doing it delicately. Like he had once told an amused Lloyd:

" _Wrapping paper doesn't have feelings. So why should I bother to take my time on unwrapping presents?'_

Every gift he unwrapped, Harvey let loose a squeal of joy, resulting in his parents sharing a satisfied smile. They were always wary when it came to Harvey at Christmas as even though he was well – behaved, he had the tendency to throw a childish tantrum and Mrs Hunter did _not_ want a repeat of two years ago….

She nearly sloshed her tea when Harvey enveloped her into a hug, patting his back as he exclaimed:

"Thank you, Mum! Thank you, Dad! I love you both! These presents are _awesome!"_

Pulling away, Harvey surveyed his presents with glee as his parents smiled at him. His gifts consisted of:

Several aircraft models that had been missing from his collection, a box of pieces which when constructed formed a rare model of a Spitfire, a football shirt displaying his favourite team, a selection of Simpson's comics, the Nightmare On Elm Street DVD, a globe, a dark green parka that swamped him and a handful of money.

Harvey fell to his knees, scooping his gifts to his chest. As he cradled them, he gazed around at his family, sneering:

"My presents. _Mine!"_

Lloyd snorted, reaching for his own pile. "Alright Gollum, calm down."

Harvey poked his tongue out at his elder brother playfully, before sighing as Mrs Hunter spoke sternly.

"Now Harvey, we bought you the Nightmare on Elm Street DVD only because it is your favourite film and you probably wouldn't have stopped _pleading_ for it if you hadn't have gotten it today."

Harvey eyed her critically. "I'm still waiting for the _but…."_

" _But,_ this DVD comes with a few pre-cautions." Ignoring her son's groans, she pressed on:

"No watching it late at night. I don't want you getting nightmares."

"But _Mum!_ I've seen the film loads of times! I know what's coming up… ooh death glare, I'm shutting up now."

Dinah drawled: "Think that's for the best."

"And I think I should watch it with you, for the first time. Just to see if it's appropriate for this house – hold. And I'm confiscating the DVD if I get _any complaints_ about you from the school."

Lloyd murmured, shaking his first wrapped up present. "The DVD would have been confiscated on the _first day back,_ if the Demon was still around."

Harvey and Dinah both shuddered slightly, smiling at their brother as he proceeded to open his presents. The pile was of:

A couple of PS3 games, a brand new bike helmet, a tennis racket, a pair of football studs, the complete series of Top Gear, a light brown parka and numerous gift vouchers from relatives plus a good amount of money.

Lloyd battled with the urge to squeal, opting to nod gratefully at his parents. "Thanks, Mum, thanks, Dad. I appreciate all of this."

The adult Hunters smiled back at him, knowing that Lloyd was masking how excited he really was. They turned their attention to Dinah, who was staring at her presents with a mixture of surprise and awe. Mrs Hunter's smile widened as she exclaimed:

"Go ahead, Dinah! You can open them."

Dinah blinked, slowly reaching for the first present. Sincerely, she hadn't known how to go about the pile of presents stocked before her and had been waiting for some prompting, for two reasons. One was to make sure that she had permission to open them and the other was to confirm that they were _for her_ and _her alone._

Unlike her new brothers, Dinah took her time unwrapping her presents, savouring the feelings that rushed through her. No one hurried her, which she was thankful for. In fact, when she glanced round, her _family_ were beaming at her, knowing that this was an unusual tradition for her. Of course, Dinah had received Christmas presents before, but never so many and from _an actual family._

After ten minutes, all of her presents lay out, unwrapped, in front of her. They included:

The complete collection of Charles Dickens books, a golden necklace baring 'DINAH' on it, a light blue parka, a diary decorated with owls, hiking boots, a lava lamp, a Stephen Hawking book and a fair amount of money.

Tears brimming in her hazel eyes, she smiled happily at Mr and Mrs Hunter.

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate all of this, you didn't have too."

"Nonsense! You're our daughter now! You deserve to be spoilt! And to be honest, it is nice to have a girl after two boys."

"Oh, thanks Dad."

Mr Hunter winked at Lloyd before remarking:

"Alright kids, let's get some breakfast!"

"And afterwards, we all need to get ready sharpish as the others are coming over. And _NO,_ Harvey, you cannot stay in your pyjamas all day."

"Oh… I would have worn my reindeer ones."

* * *

An hour and a half later, all of SPLAT were in the den upstairs, whilst their parents, or parent in Ian's case, were in the living room. The six of them were sprawled across the floor, the film 'Elf' playing in the background on the television. As the season, they were all clad in garments symbolising Christmas.

After comparing the presents they had all received that morning, the others turned their attention to the youngest member, when she cleared her throat. Snuggling against her boyfriend's woolly Santa jumper, Ingrid exclaimed:

"Should we exchange our presents now?"

As everyone else nodded, Mandy pulled out the bag that the presents were stuffed into. Withdrawing them, one by one, she read the tag and handed over the present to the correct person. Once the bag was empty, she tossed it aside, declaring:

"We'll go clockwise so Dinah, you first."

The younger girl nodded, delicately unfolding the wrapping paper. As Ingrid mock snored, Dinah quickened her pace slightly, beaming when she observed what her gift was.

"The final Terry Pratchett book, thanks guys!"

After the others had welcomed her appreciation, it was Lloyd's turn. Marvelling at the watch in his hands, he gasped out:

"This is _so cool!_ Thank you, everyone!"

Some more welcomes later and Ingrid was exclaiming over hers. "Ah, a Dalek figurine! Thank you guys so much!"

Harvey kissed her cheek, whispering: "Nothing's too good for my princess."

There was no comment from Ian.

Lloyd rolled his eyes as Harvey reached for his own gift. "Alright, H. You can open it."

Harvey tore off the wrapper, flinging it aside and nearly hitting Dinah in the face. "OH MY GOD! You got me the hypnotism book! YES! Hey Di, can I try it on you later?"

"Sure." Dinah smiled uneasily, hoping that Harvey would be unable to pull her under his power. She did _not_ want her mind to be filled with information not of her own accord again.

Mandy smiled. "My turn." She yanked at the paper, features lighting up. "Oh, wow! A baking book! Thank you! I'm going to have to bake you all some treats!"

She, alongside the others, turned to face Ian. He had been very quiet ever since entering the den and it was playing on everyone's minds. Ian was usually boisterous, in a hilarious way, on Christmas day. So, _what was wrong?_ Lloyd leant forwards slightly, voicing the question that was on the others' minds.

"Ian, are you alright?"

The tall boy jerked, the unopened present in his hands. "Oh yeah. Sorry, got carried away. Day – dreaming, ya know?"

Hastily, Ian tugged the wrapping paper off, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Sean Lock's autobiography, thanks."

Ingrid scowled. "No need to be sarcastic!"

"I-I wasn't."

"Yeah right, you-"

"Ing – Ing! Kiss me!"

As Harvey pulled Ingrid into a kiss, Lloyd nodded at him gratefully. Mandy reached out a hand whilst Dinah murmured:

"Are you sure you're ok?"

Ian nodded, tapping his fingers onto Mandy's hand. "I'm fine, honestly. Just feel a bit under the weather, that's all."

Lloyd replied: "Ok, we were just concerned. You're _never_ _this quiet!"_

Ian mustered a weak chuckle then slid his hand back, clambering to his feet. Tucking his book beside the sofa, he gestured to the door.

"I'm going to get some fresh air."

Dinah, Mandy and Lloyd all smiled, waving him off, the other two members too involved in snogging each other's faces off to realise. As soon as he was out of the den, Ian hurried down the stairs, nearly colliding with Mrs Hunter, who was exiting the living room.

"Ooh Ian! Be careful. Do you want to talk to your Dad?"

She stepped aside, revealing the occupants seated in the living room. Mr Robinson grinned cheerily at his only child, waving a bottle of beer at him. Ian paled and shook his head.

"No thanks. I just needed the t-toilet."

Nodding, Mrs Hunter went into the kitchen. "Well, you know where it is. Don't let me stop you!" She added jokingly.

* * *

Ian dithered in the hall – way, before sloping to the downstairs toilet. He didn't need to go and he had just missed his chance to reveal what was plaguing his mind. Sighing as he gazed into the bathroom mirror, Ian's bottom lip started to tremble as his mind wandered.

Soon enough, Ian was full out sobbing, shoulders shaking. He was glad that he had been able to hold it in till now. It would have been _mortifying_ if he had burst into tears in front of the rest of SPLAT. Ian wouldn't have been able to handle the endless questions and looks of pity and sympathy.

Steeling himself to re-gain composure, Ian inhaled a number of deep breaths, managing to cease his shoulders from shaking. He brushed his eyes free of tears, then plastered a pained smile onto his face, flushing the toilet before emerging from the bathroom, in case anyone was hovering and accused him of being 'unsanitary.'

As Ian headed towards the stairs, he peered into the kitchen. Mrs Hunter was peeking at the lamb in the oven, muttering to herself about portion sizes. Ian shot a quick glance to the stairs, then the living room, before stepping over the threshold into the kitchen.

Ian scuttled over to Mrs Hunter, shoulders hunched. It was so unlike him that when Mrs Hunter noticed him, a double take accompanied her jerk.

"Oh goodness, you surprised me!... Ian, is there something wrong?"

Ian's face twisted and he let loose a sniffle. Slowly, he nodded his head. Mrs Hunter drew him over to the kitchen table and sat him down, before taking her own place, passing the box of tissues over.

Ian took one, blew his nose, and began to mumble:

"It's been really h-hard today, pretending to act like I u-usually do. Obviously, my a-acting skills have f-failed me today as the others could s-see through it and so c-can you. I-I-I…"

He trailed off, voice having been put under strain by the oncoming bout of tears. Mrs Hunter simpered with him, patting his hand and not rushing him along. Five minutes later, Ian sputtered out what was on his mind.

"I m-miss her!"

"Miss who, dear?" Yet Mrs Hunter had a sinking feeling as to who Ian was referring too.

Ian sniffed, tone lowering to a whisper. "My M-mum."

"Ah…. But I thought you saw her on Christmas Eve? Her and what's his name?"

"Michael. Yeah, u-usually they come down to visit on Christmas Eve but M-Michael's dad got really i-ill, so they went to s-see him in the h-hospital. Mum rang y-yesterday, she was in tears over it. Asked my Dad if h-he could run me up there, but Dad was working y-yesterday so he couldn't."

Ian wrung his hands, muttering: "So I s-spent yesterday by myself. I c-considered getting a train up there, but there w-were delays and I d-didn't know if I would be a-allowed on the w-ward cause he's not my a-actual Grandad. Just my Mum's B-boyfriend's Dad."

Mrs Hunter smiled sadly, replying: "Did you skype her later?"

He shook his head. "Their c-computer is broken. S-She rang me last night, s-said that Michael's D-dad was in a critical condition and that she w-would see me as s-soon as possible."

A shuddery breath was exhaled. "I'm s-sorry, I feel like I'm r-ruining Christmas for you. It's j-just that I hate that my M-mum lives on the o-other side of the country! I s-sometimes feel that it's _my fault_ that my p-parents split up."

Mrs Hunter clicked her tongue, stating sharply: "That is not true. Ian, your parents split up several years ago and it has nothing to do with you. They simply drifted apart. I know you miss your Mum and that you were looking forwards to seeing her after so long, but you'll see her soon! Why don't you think about the future, instead of dwelling on the past?"

Ian bit his lip, muttering: "So think a-about when she's next coming to visit, instead of blaming myself and wishing that she h-had been able to c-come yesterday?"

Mrs Hunter smiled. "That's the spirit! Feel better?"

Ian nodded. "Y-Yes, thanks."

"And Ian? Never feel like you can't talk to anyone. You can talk to anyone in this house about your feelings. I'm sure Lloyd and the others will understand."

"I'm sure they will. I just didn't want my feelings to be a burden on such a momentous day."

"Nonsense! Now, are you joining the others back upstairs?"

"Actually… do you need any help with the cooking?"

"Ooh, I have a little chef with me! Well, you aren't so little really. Do you think you could wrap the bacon around the sausages? I know how much everyone loves piggy blankets."

"Yep. Harv will scoff them all if you're not careful."

"I swear, that child of mine is a human vacuum machine."

* * *

Upstairs in the den, Mandy was becoming anxious. Harvey and Ingrid were laughing at Elf, whilst Lloyd and Dinah were playing Connect Four. Ian had been gone for nearly an hour now and Mandy was concerned that he could be outside, all by himself, submerged in his thoughts.

She reckoned that his sadness was due to his mother, as Ian's frailty tended to revolve around her. She knew how much he loved his Mum and was always heartbroken whenever Ian confided to her that he had been unable to see her, or plans had sprung up in the way of the two of them communicating, face to face.

Mandy climbed to her feet, murmuring that she was going to see if Mrs Hunter needed any help in the kitchen. Four soft replies tailed back to her ears and Mandy smiled, wishing that Ian was back to his normal self and that he would come inside.

When Mandy swung into the kitchen, she blinked in shock. Instead of being greeted with the sight of Mrs Hunter, Ian was gazing back at her. His hands were deep in stuffing, an apron shielding his Christmas tree jumper effectively. Ian gaped for a moment before chuckling.

"Hey Mandy. I would greet you with a handshake, but I'm afraid that I have my hands already occupied."

Mandy giggled, stepping further into the room, drawling: "I didn't take you for a chef. I thought you hated cooking."

"I do, but I figured that Mrs Hunter wanted help. Where you looking for me?"

"Yep… and I was also going to ask Mrs Hunter if she needed help…. But I guess you're handling things pretty well?"

Ian withdrew his hands with a grunt. "Well, maybe you could help. She left me to do the stuffing here and to do the onion rings. Do you think you could?..."

Mandy moved over to where the bag of onion rings were, remarking: "Sure, I'll help."

The next few minutes were silent as the two of them worked on their separate tasks. Only when the onion rings were cooking and Ian had finished stuffing and wiped his hands clean, did they face each other. Mandy nibbled her lip, whispering:

"I know you said you were fine but… I mean…. Ian, just know that you can always tell us what's wrong."

Ian sighed. "I know. Actually, something _was_ bothering me."

Swallowing down the sudden lump in his throat, he proceeded to explain about his mother, wincing as Mandy gasped, tears forming in her eyes. As he trailed off, Ian flapped a hand.

"Oh M! You're going to make _ME_ cry in a minute!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It's just… that's _horrible!_ Why didn't you tell us?!"

"I guess…. I didn't want your pity."

"Oh Ian, _really?_ We're your best friends! We wouldn't have given you pity if you didn't want it! You heard what Lloyd said, we were just worried about our good, old joker."

Ian grinned at that. "Sorry I put a downer on earlier. Ingrid is probably mad at me huh?"

"No, she got over it. You know how she gets sometimes."

"All too well. Thanks for listening, Mandy."

"Thank you for sharing. I would follow Mrs Hunter's advice if I were you."

"I'm going too, don't you worry! I don't want to be any more miserable on Christmas Day then I've already been!"

Mandy smiled and pulled him into a brief hug. They detached when Mrs Hunter bustled into the kitchen. "Oh hello Mandy! Do you think Ian looks the part?"

Mandy laughed. "He certainly does, Mrs Hunter! I put the onion rings on, is there anything else you would like for me to do?"

"Thank you for doing that and you two go upstairs. Everything's nearly finished anyway. Thank you Mandy, Ian."

The two children nodded, Ian taking off the apron and they both went back up to the den.

* * *

Half an hour later, SPLAT, Mr and Mrs Hunter, Mr and Mrs Fletcher, Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Robinson were seated at the extended dining table. Plates towering with mountains of food were spread across the table, crackers beside the empty plates that were in front of the group, the plates awaiting to be filled.

As Mrs Hunter declared that everyone was allowed to dig in, Harvey leapt onto the closest dish to him. Dolloping roast potatoes onto his plate, he chucked the spoon back, then went onto piggy blankets, scooping nearly half of them onto his plate.

The others watched him in amusement as he filled his plate up to the brim, pouring a substantial amount of gravy over his food, before tucking in. His parents shook their heads, his father reprimanding him quietly. Harvey pouted, then placed some of the gravy coated food back, pecking Ingrid on the cheek as he did so.

Whilst there had been a couple of conversations ranging amongst the occupants, it all switched to one when Mrs Fletcher started to exclaim about her eldest daughter. Mr Fletcher joined in as well, adding in some forgotten details, as the other adults reacted in horror.

Mandy cast her gaze downwards as her parents continued to slate her sister.

"I mean don't get me wrong, we love Rachel and get on with her well, but recently, _she's been so rebellious!_ One night she stumbled back in, _DRUNK,_ and claiming that she had gotten herself a tattoo!"

Mr Fletcher snarled: "I blame that boyfriend of hers. Next she'll be forgoing her studies at University."

Mrs Smith piped up. "What's his name? The boyfriend? He sounds like a bad influence."

"Cole." Mandy whispered.

Mr Smith grimaced. "This Cole, you ever met him?"

"No and frankly, I don't want too. I'm not against getting drunk or getting a tattoo, but the way she was describing the night… or what she could _remember from it,_ was that he had basically forced her into getting it!"

Mandy smiled at Ian, who squeezed her hand under the table. She mouthed back that she was fine, and Ian let it drop, seeing the honesty in her eyes. Mandy did miss her sister when she acted out, but knew that it was a phase. Soon enough, Rachel would have dumped Cole and matured more.

As Mrs Fletcher continued on about her eldest daughter's _activities_ with her boyfriend, Mrs Hunter cocked an eyebrow at her youngest child.

"You and Ingrid better not be doing that when you get to Rachel's age!"

Harvey snorted, through a mouthful of mashed potato. "Don't worry! Me and Ing – Ing are gonna be angels!"

All of the adults looked disbelieving at this and Ingrid grinned. "We will be angels! Flapping our wings! With our halos around our heads! _Oh you can see my halo!"_

Lloyd groaned. "Do we really have to sing?!"

His groan deepened when his mother beamed brightly. "That is a brilliant idea, Lloyd! Everyone finished? If so, let's sing some carols!"

* * *

After a joyous rousing of carol singing, Mrs Hunter, along with the aid of her husband and the children, cleared the table, brandishing desserts when they came back. Mr Robinson admired the desserts with a grin.

"Teresa! This looks spectacular!"

Mrs Hunter swelled at the praise and Ian's face broke out into a grin when his Dad held up his glass as a toast.

"We'll visit your Mum tomorrow. How does that sound, my boy?"

"Great, thanks Dad!"

Mandy smiled. She loved moments like these, they warmed her heart. Once the desserts were consumed, Dinah picked up a Christmas cracker and offered the end to Lloyd. Her elder brother took it and a tug of war played out, the rest of SPLAT cheering them both on. In the end, Dinah won and in a move that was very uncharacteristic of her, stuck her tongue out at a surprised Lloyd.

Whilst people paired up, Ingrid jumped onto Harvey's lap, tugging at one end of the cracker as Harvey did the same to his end. Both of their eyes were narrowed, but Harvey's widened in revulsion when Ingrid giggled and licked his face with her tongue.

"EW! Oh man! _No fair!"_

He glanced at his broken cracker end, but cheered up when Ingrid placed the plastic crown onto his head. As Mr Hunter brought the alcohol out, his wife shooed SPLAT upstairs to the den. The six of them raced up the stairs, each of them vowing to get the television remote first so that _they_ could determine what all of them would watch.

* * *

In the end, it was Lloyd who snatched it first. He avoided Harvey's and Ingrid's grabs, switching the channel onto the Grinch. Harvey moaned, putting his head into his hands.

"Urgh, Doctor Seuss will be rolling in his grave at this abomination!"

Ingrid whacked him upside the head before pulling him onto the sofa, wriggling on his lap. "Well I happen to like this film. Good choice, L!"

Lloyd smirked, taking a seat on the sofa at the other end. Mandy, Ian and Dinah joined them, the latter marvelling at how all of them still had enough room, though there was six of them, and the sofa was only meant to fit four people.

The door opened and Mrs Hunter popped her head round. "Alright kids?" Her eyes lingered on Ian, smiling when everyone nodded. "Great, just to let you know, a bit later, the six of you will need to come down to watch the Queen's speech and have some photos taken."

SPLAT all groaned. They _loathed_ having the traditional Christmas photograph as it took forever to get the perfect one. When Mrs Hunter had gone, Mandy grinned.

"We should take our own photos! Right now!"

After a bit of fumbling, Ingrid held her phone up in the air, camera ready and primed. Lloyd reached across, plucking the book out of Dinah's hands.

"Hey, Sis! Smile!"

Dinah rolled her eyes but aimed a smile at the camera. Over the course of fifteen minutes, they took a wide range of photographs, each member displaying various poses or pulling faces. Ingrid uploaded them to Facebook then put her phone away, cuddling Harvey to her.

Later that evening, SPLAT were huddled together on the sofa, another Christmas film playing. Their stomachs were still full and they each had a Santa hat on and a glass of cider in their hands.

Lloyd led the toast, holding his glass up high. "Merry Christmas, guys."

"Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Xmas!"

"Merry SPLATmas! Get it, SPLATmas? You see, cause it's-"

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "H, we get it."

Harvey frowned, but cheered up when Ian nudged him, whispering: "Clever. Going to have to keep an eye on you, you might just steal my crown of being joker of SPLAT!"


End file.
